Of Earth and Water
by Lady of Termina
Summary: Collection of Borra one-shots ranging from hurt/comfort to stupidly fluffy.
1. Long Night

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Legend of Korra._

* * *

The only sound in the room was that of his hitched breath as he choked on the pillow he was laying face-down on in an effort to muffle his broken sobs. He had passed the point of reasonable grief awhile ago and was now nearly hysterical, his eyes turning red and throat burning in his anger. Somewhere in the back of his mind he was soothing himself, telling himself to calm down; why was he crying? He had known long ago that she didn't want to be with him. She preferred Mako, after all, and who was he to get in the way of the happiness of the two most important people in his world?

But now they were together, and that changed a lot of things.

Stopping to rub his tender green eyes and rub his flowing nose on the soaked pillowcase, the sound of approaching footsteps in the corridor outside made him look up, disconsolate and dreading any visitor he might have. _Please, please don't come in,_ Bolin begged silently, closing his eyes and crossing his fingers.

His eyes flew open at a hesitant rap on the door.

"Come in," he intoned, voice strangled and husky from all the waterworks. Desperately he tried to make himself look more presentable before giving up, large shoulders slumping as he came to the realization that nobody ever looks presentable immediately after a two hour long bout of tears. Burying his face in his fluffy pillow, he listened to the footsteps that entered his room.

They were light but decisive, neither the heavy clunk of Mako's boots nor the gentle swish of the Air Acolytes' thin-soled slippers. He knew instantly who it was, and the tears began pouring down his face unconsciously.

"Bo," she said, perching on the side of his bed, one slender hand going to his back. He flinched, scooting as far away as he could from her and ending up with his side pressed against the frigid wall, hands clenching the pillow so tightly he could feel his nails digging into his palms. Undeterred, Korra placed both hands on his back this time, and he hated himself for feeling glad at her touch, for his tears drying up and his body relaxing into the firm mattress. She didn't say anything; she only rubbed tiny circles into his back and up to his shoulders, the tension disappearing instantly as she worked on them. His eyes threatened to leak again when it occurred to him that she normally would never do this for him. She was rarely, if ever, touchy-feely, and there had to be a good reason for her touching him, unless he initiated it. He exhaled gustily.

"Bolin, I don't know what to say," she finally said, hands pausing on his shoulder blades.

"You don't have to say anything, Korra," he replied flatly. "You made it clear that you were never interested in me romantically, so I don't know why I'm reacting this way." He tried to sound matter-of-fact, but his voice broke halfway through the second sentence and he let out an unrestrained wail, prompting a wince from Korra and more hand circles.

"Bolin, I swear I never wanted to hurt you. I promise you. You're the best friend I've ever had."

"I know, Korra. And you're mine. I think that's what makes this worse."

His ears could have been deceiving him, but he could've sworn he heard her let out a sniff before her hands came around to his front, lifting his face up from his beloved pillow sanctuary. He resisted before caving, allowing her to pull him to her and ending up with his face resting in her lap. One of his arms wound around her waist and clung to her desperately, his other hand fisting the fabric of her skirt as he began, once more, to weep openly. She rubbed his hair and his back, holding him just as securely and whispering things he couldn't hear over the sound of his heart breaking over and over again.

"I really want you to be happy, Korra. I do."

"I want you to be happy, too, Bolin."

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

**End Note: **I was actually writing something happy involving these two, but I decided this needed to get out of my head before I continued.

I think Mako and Korra will most likely get together in the season finale, so this was what I imagined Bolin's reaction being. Korra probably should've brought him a cupcake.

Reviews appreciated for this short little fic. C:


	2. Home

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Legend of Korra._

* * *

The sound of their laughter filled the brilliantly blue sky as he rolled her over, pressing her into the lush green grass. Ever the gentleman, he pressed light kisses into her neck, her laughter giving up and her breathing turning quiet. Kissing her one last time, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in the smell of cinnamon that was completely at odds with and at the same time harmonious with her personality. She tangled her fingers in his thick, black hair, one arm tightening around his upper body.

"I'm glad I came back now," she mused, watching the clouds drift lazily by in the summer sky.

He snorted, making her gasp in laughter and swat him away. He turned adroitly on his side, cocking his head up on his arm. "I see how it is, _Avatar Korra_," Bolin mock-sneered her title, expertly dodging the elbows she sent in the direction of his chest and catching her upper arms, holding her steadfastly to his body. She relented, snuggling closer against his wide chest and laying her head over his heart. Giving his eyes a far off look and pretending to be sad, he carried on. "I am only Bolin, a street urchin who nevertheless managed to woo the much more refined Avatar of the Southern Water Tribe. She occasionally wishes for a more financially blessed partner, but alas—"

A sharp elbow to the ribs made him double over, clutching his chest. This time it was she who pinned him to the ground, and he had to blush at the implications their situation entailed. She seemed not to care, however, and gave him a steely gaze that caused both dread in the pit of his stomach and a flurrying sensation in his heart.

"Bolin, I really do. Not. _Care_ how well off you are or anything! Why do you always bring that up?"

Bolin squinted, recalling the time Korra had confessed that everything in her life had been handed to her. She had never had to scrape for things the way he and Mako had as children, and suddenly he felt that old gulf open up between them. It was wider than the distances she would travel as part of her duties as Avatar, and no matter what, it would never go away, no matter how hard either of them attempted to bridge the gap.

Growing somber, Bolin sat up, pushing her to his side but keeping his hand intertwined with hers. "I grew up on the streets. This is where most people would say they have to fend for themselves, but I…didn't. Mako was always taking care of us, getting us shelter, buying us food. Heck, before we met the Triple Threats, he was juggling three jobs just to support us! And me? Well, I had Pabu's circus. And I'm sure you know that didn't bring in much money," he finished bitterly.

Korra eyed him, her expression just as serious as his. Cupping his cheek with her hand, she looked him straight in the eye. "Bolin, you were just a child then. And now you're twenty years old. You have a job. You have an apartment. You've been taking care of yourself for awhile now."

"I don't know if that's enough to provide for us," he mumbled, chin tucked into his chest.

"What?" she whisper-shouted, getting up in his face in that playful way she had of doing. He smiled sheepishly at her and then sighed, giving in. "I don't know if I can take care of the two of us together, though. Financially," he clarified, his voice soft and only just audible over the wind.

Korra sucked in a deep breath, her lips puckering as she stared at him. Bolin looked right back at her, this time not blushing but feeling like he could cry any moment now. It had been nothing short of unbelievable when he and Korra had first gotten together three years ago—she had taken awhile to get over Mako, but Bolin had patiently guided her through it, no longer caring if the two of them became a couple or not. He just wanted to be there for her in any way he could, and that had carried up till now, too. He wanted to protect her and anybody else who could potentially come along, but the self-doubt would creep up when he was at his happiest and bite him when he was least expecting it.

It came as a shock to him when she kissed him, hard, her hands latching onto the side of his face and pulling his head down to her height. He let out a terrified and incredibly unmanly squeal before relaxing, bringing her as close to him as he could before withdrawing. She snickered, punching him in the chest.

"Bolin, no matter what, I will always love you. It takes two to be in a relationship, you know—I grew up in the Southern Water Tribe. I don't know how it was or is in Republic City, but women were allowed to, and often did, take care of the family in ways that they might not in other places." Korra heaved another great breath, looking down at her hands.

"What I'm saying is, both of us can contribute to the home. You don't have to be the only one putting money into it."

He beamed, hugging her tightly. She laughed, cozying up to him and closing her eyes. He gazed down at her head, the thought he had been mulling over for several days becoming even more attractive in light of this turn of events.

"Korra, what do you think of moving in?"

* * *

**End Note:** So I've decided to make a collection of Borra one-shots because as much as I want to be shipping neutral

This ship is just freaking adorable and it makes me smile a lot. Also I think it's a lot easier to cover a wide amount of genres with them than for Makorra, so there's that (I'm also admittedly not very partial to Mako, and I like seeing Bolin happy). I am planning on doing Borra week in August, if any of you are interested in that, so be on the lookout!

So yeah this turned out differently than it was supposed to, but I like this ending better. C: Feel free to leave a review.


	3. Cosmic Love

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Legend of Korra._

* * *

When he came to, Korra was nowhere in sight.

Sick with panic, he struggled to get up, but the world spun and he only ended up on the floor again, closing his eyes to fight off the waves of nausea and dizziness that kept crashing over him. His body hurt; he felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach by a bull pig, and before he could stop himself, he retched. Sitting up weakly, his bright green eyes widened.

The reason he was even there in the first place was because he was assisting Korra in locating her parents. The couple had come up to Republic City to see her after things had seemingly calmed down, but Amon's sympathizers were still at large, and they had deemed kidnapping the Avatar's parents as a good idea to lure her in for payback. The Avatar had been distraught, with unshed tears glistening in her eyes, and she had broken more than a few things in her rage.

"Korra, calm down," Mako had said, watching her dispassionately.

"You don't understand, Mako!" she had retorted, anguish evident in her voice. Bolin observed them from the corner of the room beside Tenzin, feeling relatively ignored and more than a little frustrated. The two had been a couple for a few weeks, but most of the time they spent together was either mushy, lovey activities or bickering—constant bickering about anything and everything. He shook himself, guilty for his train of thought. Why was he thinking about something so inconsequential at a time like _this_?

"If I may," Tenzin had said drily, interrupting the quarreling pair and effectively silencing them, "I think our time would be better spent searching for your parents. Korra?"

"Right," she had muttered thickly, the tears streaking down her face. Mako moved forward and put his arm around her shoulder and murmured soothing words in her ear; Bolin had to turn away.

So their rescue mission had begun. Lin Beifong joined them, though she said she would be useless in their search, and they had combed the streets, following instincts and the vibrations in the earth. Korra had been mute the entire time, the worry and horror quickly giving way to sheer rage, and by the time they found the Equalists' hideout, she had been ready to beat somebody to death.

"Korra, be reasonable," Tenzin had warned her as she slammed the lone Equalist bodily to the earthen wall, already well past her breaking point.

"Where. Are. My parents?" she ground out, shaking him for emphasis. Her natural strength, usually well restrained, was coming out full force, and Bolin looked up nervously as pebbles and earth rained down from the ceiling of the underground tunnel. To his left Mako swore sharply and the rest of the party looked around; other Equalists were popping out of the woodworks, moving stealthily towards them.

_It was a trap._

"Uh, Korra…" Bolin began, but she was too busy going full meltdown to pay anyone else any mind.

"If you don't tell me where they are right now, so help me—"

"Korra!" Mako bellowed.

"What?" she snapped, spinning around on her heel.

The Equalist she had disarmed took this opportunity to hit her expertly around the shoulders for her juvenile mistake, jolting her forward and causing her to crumple to the floor. Bolin backed up nervously as the others advanced, meeting Mako's back with his own. The brothers shared a look heavy with meaning over their shoulders and then lashed out with their respective elements simultaneously, knocking out the first row of their attackers.

Behind them Tenzin helped a wobbly Korra to her feet, and Bolin let out a sigh of relief. _She's okay!_

Meanwhile, the circle of Equalists broke off into two separate lines, one getting tighter around Bolin while the other moved to Mako, causing Bolin to trip backwards. He looked helplessly to Mako, who was in a similar situation, exposing his back to the enemy. _They're splitting us up,_ he realized, fear flashing across his face. The men were so close together he'd only get clotheslined if he tried to shove his way past them. Mako met his eyes and lifted his chin. _You've got this, little brother,_ he mouthed.

Kicking the ground, Bolin brought up a wall of rock and shot it out, sending three or four of his adversaries flying into the wall, hitting with a satisfying _thunk_. Arms out in front of him, he raised them as far as his height would allow while still remaining horizontal, building up a wall of rock that he sent to the semi-circle of men like a tidal wave, the group falling to the ground easily. They didn't get back up.

Mako was spinning around in a circle, hands to the ground as he kicked up long, bright strands of fire that hurtled at his enemies. Bolin sent large rocks flying at them from behind, trapping them between the two elements. Mako let out a whoop of appreciation and made the circumference of the flame larger, scaring off the Equalists.

_This isn't going so badly! _Bolin remarked to himself, surprised.

He didn't even notice the one who knocked him out with a thick, metal pipe.

* * *

On the floor, he stared at the girl who had practically ripped his heart out of his chest. Her fists were balled up in fury and she had adopted a fighting stance, one leg behind the other. Her long, chocolate brown hair was being whipped around by a powerful wind but—where was it coming from? Was he just imagining it?

"Korra, no!" Mako shouted from the other end of the cavern.

"What do you mean?" Korra barked at the Equalist in front of her, but it wasn't her only her voice that issued from her mouth. It was like she had been possessed and a legion of demons was using her as a mouthpiece. Bolin scurried to his feet, disregarding the vertigo that hit him much like the lead pipe from earlier and the gravity that tried to pull him back down to the floor. _Korra, don't! _he wanted to scream, but he felt like he'd swallowed a mouthful of cotton, and no sound would escape his mouth.

The Equalist said something unintelligible over the whipping wind and Korra let out a shriek, ascending to the ceiling of the cave. Tenzin grabbed Lin and hustled her out of the area, latching onto Mako's forearm on the way out. Mako shrugged the older man off and focused on Korra, cupping his hands around his mouth in a vain attempt to communicate with her. Bolin appeared beside him, staggering a little from the swelling bump on his head, but otherwise unharmed.

"What's going on?" he roared over the din.

"She's gone Avatar State!" Mako shouted back, barely audible.

"What—"

"It's like some sort of defense mechanism! She used it to get her bending back, but I don't know how to snap her out of it!"

Bolin's heart stilled when he caught a glimpse of Korra's face. Her eyes were glowing white, her face twisted in pain and anger. She was exponentially more powerful in this way, and he felt sudden pity for the Equalists she was about to rain terror on. They had done something bad, but…did they really deserve death?

Would she even agree with him?

He sprinted out to her, the high speed winds buffeting him as Mako called for him to come back. "It's too dangerous, Bo!" He couldn't let her do something she might regret later, though! If she really wanted to do them fatal harm, then she could do that when she was thinking rationally.

"Korra!"

She ignored him, raising one hand to strike.

"Korra, please stop! It's not worth it!"

Her hand stilled, muscles spasming.

"Korra, please. Don't do this."

The winds died down abruptly and she floated down, just above him, and then whatever force was supporting her body gave out and she dropped like a stone, plummeting to the ground just to the right of Bolin. He slid on his knees to catch her, almost toppling over backwards as she hit his arms. He permitted himself one yelp of pain, biting through his lip so hard he could taste blood. There were going to be bruises later, he was sure of it.

"Bolin…?" A weak voice sounded from his arms, and he smiled down at her, reassured.

"Glad you're okay!" he said cheerily, glancing up at the Equalists. Those who had remained uninjured throughout the battle had scampered, leaving behind the ones who had been hurt. _Wow, what a bunch of pansies._

Korra offered him a shadow of a smile and opened her mouth to speak, but—

"Korra!"

The running footsteps smacking the cracked earth echoed around the room, and suddenly he was being shoved roughly aside, the girl being literally stolen from his arms by his brother. He pushed himself out of the way and looked on enviously as Mako cradled the Avatar, murmuring gentle words to her.

"Well, that was certainly interesting."

Bolin looked around, still disgruntled, finding Lin Beifong and Tenzin by his side. The latter held out his hand and Bolin caught hold of it, hauling himself up.

"What just happened, Tenzin?" the former chief continued, eyeing the two teenagers still kneeling on the floor. Bolin refused to look at them and instead trained his eyes on Tenzin's face.

The wise old man observed Korra with a sorrowful look, and then turned to Lin. "She entered the Avatar State. It is a type of super powered state where she can call upon the knowledge of all the past Avatars, hence her incredible bending skill. Right now she can only enter it when she is placed in an extremely emotionally or physically damaging situation."

"Then how does she leave it?"

"The way my father explained it to me, he would either rampage until he—and the others he was often protecting—was safe, or until my mother managed to calm him down. It would appear she was the only one capable of calling him back."

Lin looked swiftly from Bolin to Korra, her vivid green eyes darting between the two several times before her eyebrows arched. Bolin was slower on the uptake, but finally something clicked.

Tenzin spoke to him quietly. "Bolin, for whatever reason, you are the only person who can pull Korra out of the Avatar State. Perhaps you two have a particularly strong bond?"

"I… I guess so. Is she, you know, going to be alright?"

"She will most likely be drained, both mentally and physically, but yes. She will be fine." Tenzin stared at Bolin awhile longer, his expression unreadable. Then, giving the two a curt nod, he walked over to check on the condition of his charge.

"Well, well," Lin said softly, looking Bolin up and down with her hands on her hips. Bolin's face reddened, and he knew what she was thinking.

Why couldn't Mako draw her out of the Avatar State?

* * *

**End Note:** Originally I was going to update this _after_ the season finale, but I decided I'd best do it now before everything (particularly the part about Mako being unable to draw her back, because I just know it's probs going to happen) in here gets dashed. So yeah, this is all just speculation finale-wise, but I think she will defeat Amon by using the Avatar State? I dunno, if it doesn't, we can always just say this is an AU. And I really thought her parents being kidnapped would trigger her.

Also, I decided to leave the fate of her parents rather ambiguous because some of these stories I may want to come back to (like the last one, hehe) later on in this series.

**EDIT: **Pfft okay I edited this a little so it fits in the confines of canon. Wait a sec was she able to control the AS that was... kinda unclear.

Uh.


	4. All Apologies

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Legend of Korra._

Note: This is a sequel to _Cosmic Love._

* * *

Her vision was blurry and her limbs drained of energy as she sat up on her elbows, taking deep breaths when even that sudden movement made her feel sick. She had only gone into the Avatar State a few times when restoring bending to those who had lost it, and those had been relatively short and nowhere near as taxing as the fight had been. The mattress felt like quicksand as she urged her body to raise itself, but in the end she fell back with a muffled _whump_ and a strangled shout.

Something in the hall rustled.

She froze and angled her body in the direction of the door, taking note of her surroundings for the first time. She was in the infirmary, a spacious room filled with beds in the central building on the island. She knew the kitchen was somewhere close by, but she had no idea if the noise was an intruder or someone getting a midnight snack. Sliding under the sheets carefully, she looked at the door again. Nothing.

She relaxed, her tensed muscles going slack and her eyes drooping closed. She hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in awhile, really. She had to make the most of this, even if she was healing.

This time a bang issued from further down the hall and she bolted up, pain shooting up her back and _everywhere_. She bit down on her fist to suppress the scream that bubbled in her throat and threw the sheets back, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and raising herself up. Hobbling to the sliding screen, she opened it as noiselessly as possible and snuck around the corner. Another, gentler sound came from the direction of the kitchen, and she sighed. It was probably Meelo; that kid was always creeping around the grounds in the middle of the night, and she had run into him on more than one occasion. Sighing, she leaned her back against the paneled wall, exhaustion hitting her hard. A small part of her told her to get back to bed, but her stomach rumbled and told her to get her butt to the kitchen immediately. She gave in and followed its orders, trying to picture the last thing she'd eaten.

The kitchen was dimly lit by a lantern sitting on one of the oak counters, the doors to the ceiling to floor cupboards cracked open with a brighter light spilling across the dusty floor. An earthen bowl rested on the great circular table in the center of the room next to what looked like ground herbs. Curious, she opened the door further, only to find Bolin hunting through the stocked shelves and cradling a bright red apple in his arms like it was a baby.

Green eyes met blue and he turned as red as his apple, dropping it unceremoniously to the floor and watching it roll for a few seconds before lunging for it. Korra left the pantry, chuckling as Bolin swooped down on his fruit with a soft "gotcha!", brushing the dirt off on his shirt. Still bent over, he gave her a perplexed look and then stood up, hands on his hips.

"Why are you up so late?" he whispered. She thought to tell him that they were the only two people in the vicinity, let alone the house, but voted against it. She couldn't help but remember all the nights they had spent, staying up and talking about everything and nothing, and then the corners of her mouth dropped down. What had happened to those nights? They'd barely spoken three words to each other since…

Oh.

Bolin had waited patiently for an answer, but when it didn't look like she was providing one any time soon, he shrugged and shuffled over to his medicine, rubbing his head absently. Korra followed him, dragging a chair out and plopping down on it. He watched her expressionlessly, mixing the herbs with the water and downing it all in one go. She crossed her arms over her chest and gripped her elbows, aware of the awkward feeling pervading the room. _There's a reason we haven't talked as much as we used to._

She could blame it on her duties (which really weren't many), but really, it was Mako. Her relationship with one of the brothers was ruthlessly murdering the one she had with the other, and there was no denying that. The warm feeling that had been in the pit of her stomach ever since Mako confessed was extinguished.

"Bolin…?"

"Mm?"

She recoiled, unable to look him in the face and stunned into silence at his short tone. Korra played with her hands resting in her lap before squinting up at him.

"You're mad at me."

He blinked, startled. "What? No, I'm not mad, I just…" He heaved a deep breath and pulled out the chair next to her, spinning it around so that he was straddling it the way the people in the black and white moving pictures did when they wanted to be cool. If anything it just made him look goofier, but she would never tell him that. "I don't want to…encroach on Mako's territory."

Bolin let the sentence hang in the air awkwardly, internally wishing for a time machine so he could go back and shove his foot up his butt for even thinking something like that. Korra's face was a show of flickering emotions before she settled on fury.

"His _territory?"_ she snapped, standing up with all the force she could muster. The heavy wooden chair tottered on its hind legs for a split second before crashing to the floor with a _bang_, and Bolin moved as quickly as he could out of his less than ideal position, swiftly catching up to the enraged Avatar. He trapped her wrists in his hands and held her back, squeezing them when she tried to break free.

"So what am I? Huh? Am I just something Mako owns, not even my own person?"

"No that's not it, I—

She stamped the ground with her bare foot, accidentally dislodging a small piece of the flooring next to them. Bolin cracked a small smile that instantly faded when he remembered his current situation.

"Korra, no. You are your own person; I just don't want to make him angry."

Her eyebrow twitched, but she said nothing, so he hurried on. "Mako can be kind of jealous sometimes, you know how he is. He knows that I, well…" Here he trailed off, avoiding her bright eyes.

"_You're one of a kind, Korra."_

Why had it seemed like such a throwaway comment when Bolin had said it to her with the utmost sincerity in his voice, but when Mako had told her the same thing, her heart had fluttered? She had wanted to like Bolin; on their date she had enjoyed herself immensely and had even entertained the idea of kissing him goodbye at the end of the night. But when she returned home, thoughts of the same date, but with _Mako_, had consumed her, and then the very next night she had committed her greatest folly in her short life.

"You like me," she stated softly, everything from his neck up going scarlet. He nodded wordlessly, eyes downcast. This time he really did let go of her wrists and went over to his seat. When she didn't move, he gestured to the place next to him. He offered her the apple and then got up to get another for himself.

"I wasn't lying when I told you that you were special, Korra," he began, twirling the apple by its stem. She watched his hands, mesmerized by the way such large objects could make something so simple seem so graceful. "I've never met a girl who was so carefree with a guy, who could just be herself and burp in a restaurant like that. I appreciated that you were yourself around me. I didn't want you to be someone you're not; I just wanted you." The apple stopped, and he resumed in the opposite direction.

"I wish I could tell you that I didn't think it was a date," she said lowly, fiddling with her hair. "But I wouldn't be true. I knew deep down that you wanted it to be romantic, but all I could think of was Mako."

He continued to play with the apple. "I think I realized that. I thought, _this is too good to be true! No way this girl returns your feelings, Bo_." She winced, but he didn't notice, still engrossed in the motions of his fruit. The desire to cover his hands with hers and make him pay attention to her fully struck Korra, but she was already hurting him enough by having this conversation with him. These were things that needed to be said.

"It's okay that you kissed Mako, Korra. We weren't dating. If I had been clearer, this whole mess wouldn't have happened. You don't need my permission to live your life." The apple ceased its rotation altogether, and after contemplating it, he sunk his teeth into its shiny skin. Crunching sounds filled the kitchen as Korra assembled her thoughts.

"Bolin, I don't really know what happened in the cave." His jaw slowed and he peeked at her out of the corner of his eyes. He gulped, setting the meager meal aside.

"I know I entered the Avatar State; I… met a few previous Avatars who explained it to me. But when I woke up…" She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked him square in the face. "Did I fall or something?"

"Uh… sort of? I just… I didn't want to see you do anything you regretted, so I talked you out of it, and you kind of…lost momentum, I guess."

"Was I… scary?" Her voice came out as little more than a whisper.

Bolin sucked in his cheek, trying to think of the right way to word it without hurting her. "Nah, you're never scary. If anything you looked like more of a babe than usual." She laughed lightly, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

"Bo, you're such a nice guy. Too nice, after what I've done to you."

"Korra, please. Let's not do that whole self-pity circle thing." She lifted her eyebrows. "You hate on yourself, I tell you you're wonderful and then hate on myself; it becomes a cycle. We don't really get anywhere and my head isn't into it tonight." He sighed and cupped his chin in his hands, elbows on the table.

"So… we're still friends, right?" she asked, poking his elbow. He cocked his head at her and then nodded.

"Of course."

* * *

**End Note: **Quite possibly the crappiest thing I have ever written and God is that saying something.


	5. Birth

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Legend of Korra._

* * *

She clenched the plain white sheets in her fists, nearly ripping them in her agony. Her other hand was squeezing Bolin's so hard she was certain she'd broken something—an ominous crack had resounded throughout the room earlier, but she had been so lost she didn't know if it was just her imagination, fueled by the pain, or an actual fractured bone. He was murmuring into her ear, alternating between "You can do it, Korra!" and "Just take a deep breath, everything will be fine!" as the healer stationed at the foot of the bed coaxed her into pushing with the contractions rocking through her body.

"It's too soon," she whimpered, toes curling as she fought to keep control of her body. She never would have guessed, ten years ago, that Avatar Korra would be losing every shred of her dignity during _childbirth,_ of all things, but there she was. Bolin caressed her face with his free hand, brushing away the strand of hair blocking her vision. Another contraction wracked through her body and she let out a half-shout, the healer looking up from whatever was so interesting down there. She really didn't know what the attraction was.

"Korra, you're almost ready. Just another inch or so and the baby will be able to come out," he assured her, turning to the nurse behind him to ask her something.

"Great, I can hardly wait," she snarled, clutching Bolin's hand tighter, and this time something definitely snapped. They both winced and a stream of apologies flew from her mouth, and he gave her a grin that was more like a grimace and patted her hand.

"Wow, can you believe in just a little while, we'll be parents?" His attempt at calming her down was completely transparent, and she glared at him through the beads of sweat dripping in front of her eyes, lower lip jutting out.

"Can we please, please talk about anything else? Anything else at all? At this point I'll even take the weather!"

He scratched his head, shooting a look at the door across the room. "Do you want me to get your mother? Or Katara?"

She rested her head on the sturdy pillow behind her and looked up at the ceiling, another contraction being noted by the head healer as she considered. "No, don't," she decided. "Katara's too old to handle this, and mom will just freak out. You know how excited she gets."

A low oath slipped past her lips as the healer busied himself once more in the little tent that her legs and the blanket had formed, muttering to himself. The nurse looked on before his head appeared over the top of the comforter, and he made a hand motion that sent her running to the far edge of the room.

"Okay, Korra," he slapped a pair of sterile, white gloves on his hands, spreading them out like he was expecting a polar bear dog's pup instead of a human baby. "You can start pushing now." The nurse rushed over, towels bundled in her arms, which she handed to the healer.

"You can do it, Korra!" Bolin encouraged her, squeezing her hand gently.

Taking a deep breath, she bore down.

* * *

Truth be told, Korra wasn't exactly thrilled when she had learned of her pregnancy. If anything, she had been dismayed; she was 26, thought of as a bit past her prime by her kinsmen down south, and childrearing had never been high on her list of priorities, if on it at all. The mere thought of a child running around her home brought a knot into her stomach that she couldn't quite explain, even to herself.

"Korra?" Bolin called from the hallway, voice muffled by the door. She stared down her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Really, they'd been married three years. There was bound to be a slip-up somewhere, but she hadn't counted on this big of a consequence—maybe missed bills or some precious family heirloom being broken, but a baby? She couldn't take care of a baby! The Korra in the glass sneered at her, as if to say _Avatar Korra? Afraid of a _baby?_ How pathetic!_

Gripping the sides of the sink, she lowered her head. She had seen her fair share of miscarriages down at the South Pole, not to mention the children who would occasionally go missing and then be found, weeks to months later, turned into popsicles in the frozen ocean. The wails of their parents had been easy to brush off as a teenager; she would never cause her own that much trouble, not like the White Lotus would let her out of their sight, anyway. But she had vowed never to have her own children. They caused too much trouble; all they ever did was make their parents cry and worry where they were, if they were getting themselves in trouble, if they were safe out in the tundra as they went for their first hunt alone. No, she never wanted to conceive.

But the things she wished for never seemed to happen. She had wanted Mako, but then his brother had managed to worm his way into her heart, and there he was, just on the other side of that door, her husband and confidante, now father of her baby. She had seriously contemplated throwing herself off the icy cliff and into the swirling, stormy blue waters below after she had been stripped of her bending, but Aang had stopped her. And now, head bent over the sink as one hand laid flat on her inconspicuous belly, she knew she would come to love this child. It would happen. She was always contrary to what was good for her and what she really felt, and this time would offer no change of pace.

Blue eyes watering, she turned the knob on the door slowly, meeting the concerned, leaf green eyes of her husband. They traveled down to the hand still cradling her stomach and then back up her body, this time in shock. She smiled a bittersweet smile and stepped forward, hand running over the sandpaper-like stubble on his chin. _You need to shave,_ she thought with a smirk. Instead, she said:

"We're going to have a baby."

* * *

To say it had been difficult to adjust would have been an understatement. Past the four month mark, she was forbidden to travel—"It would put unnecessary strain on the baby," Katara had informed her gravely, tapping Korra's nose with her index finger. The elderly woman had arrived two months earlier, accompanied by her overjoyed parents. They had quickly insinuated themselves in the couple's life, moving in at Air Temple Island and visiting once every day, with Katara bringing juicy blood oranges and the thick milk of the cow-hippo, which she refused to consume.

"Korra," Katara had said, somehow managing to make her name sound menacing and honey sweet at the same time. "This is good for the baby. Drink it."

The way the opaque, snow white liquid sloshed around in the glass brought waves of nausea in her stomach, and she dashed to the bathroom—which was quickly becoming her second home—Bolin right on her heels.

She wanted to share their enthusiasm—everyone but her was painting a tiny room off the sitting room, furnishing it with the very same cradle she had utilized as a babe and knitting clothes for the baby along with linens for its bed. Bolin had spread the news far and wide at work, and naturally she had received several gift baskets, stocked to the brim with luscious fruits that were sworn to enhance the baby's natural abilities. This one made it a Waterbender; that one over there boosted its intelligence. Her head swam from the absurdity of it all while she kept a gracious smile plastered on her face, dumping the weighty basket in the kitchen on her way to the table.

One day they sat, his back against a weeping cherry tree and hers against his wide chest, dozing lightly. The season always made her sleepy, and the energy the baby was taking up made her even more tired—it wasn't uncommon for her to sleep twelve hours a day. The tree she slept under had exploded into beautiful pinks and whites when spring had arrived, the petals of the flowers drifting lazily in the air as it blew softly through its overlong, whip-like branches, swaying in the breeze. Bolin picked one up and twisted it behind her ear, his thumb pushing aside her heavy curtain of hair and then threading itself through the rest of it, following it to the end of her waist. She swatted his hand away, head lolling back as she searched vainly for her dream to come back to her. She had been battling a powerful enemy, it didn't matter who, and she had been winning. When it didn't, she straightened up, arms stretching for the cerulean sky above her head.

"We should think of names," he mused, one hand dropping to her swollen stomach. Though she was around five months along now, the baby had yet to make its presence known in any way other than her expanding waistline, something that had caused much concern amongst her mother and Pema.

"Just give it time," Katara had said. "Especially with the first pregnancy, it's hard to tell the difference between the baby and other things going on down there. Your body's not accustomed to it, and you don't know what it feels like." She had felt a small twinge of annoyance and actual panic ripple through her at the idea that there might be something wrong with her baby—_wait, this shouldn't be freaking me out so much, _she had reprimanded herself, but the lingering sensation wouldn't leave her. Turning her mind from this train of thought, she settled more comfortably against her husband.

"Okay…" she said slowly, braiding a strand of her brown hair, head tilted to the side. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well…" His voice was hesitant. She stopped fiddling with her hair and turned to look at him. His face had lost some of its boyishness as they had aged, mainly due to the loss of baby fat in his now well-defined cheekbones. His midnight black hair had become a bit shaggier as well, and of course, there was that ever-present stubble. Lin Beifong had taken him under her wing five years ago, transforming him from a street rat that had scraped his way by to a strong, capable Metalbender ready to join her task force. Despite all this, he retained his innocent charm, even with the distracting stubble.

His green eyes flitted down, and his voice was low. "Well, if it's a boy, we could try Zheng, and if it's a girl, Jeong."

He stubbornly refused to meet her eyes until she lifted his face, hand cupping his chin. "Your parents."

"Yes."

Her hand wandered of its own accord to her "pregnancy hump", as Ikki called it, wishing for just one little kick. A child named after his parents. It suited perfectly, and suddenly she could see them, sitting under a tree much like this one, their offspring cradled in her arms as he played with it. A brief smile took up residence on her face.

"I think they sound like great names."

* * *

Korra heaved a sigh, wiggling her ankle in the air. Her feet had blown up like balloons lately, and she couldn't believe how painful it was to walk on them. Her mother had forced her to take a break from poring over the documents the assembly had sent her—the non-benders demanded that they gain more representation within the house, seeing as they had many more citizens than the benders, but the benders steadfastly refused to negotiate on the matter and were just being altogether bratty about it—and so now she reclined on the sofa wedged into the corner of her living room, hands balanced on her stomach. The non-benders had gained several rights since Amon's true identity had been revealed nearly ten years ago; that was a fact. But the benders had limited these rights in every way possible—the non-benders had three representatives as opposed to the benders' five, one for each nation (with the Water Tribe split into two), ensuring that any vote they made would count for next to nothing. _Really, the Earth Kingdom should have a few more representatives as well_, she mused drowsily. _A country that big with just one spokesperson? Whose idea was that?_

And it did make sense if they based it on population, not nation. The sects of the Water Tribe could each have two or three representatives, with the Air Nomads getting one—they barely counted as a nation—and so on as the number of people increased. The city followed the strict code of _no taxation without representation_, but it didn't make much sense if no one was being represented fai—

A flutter from inside broke her thoughts and she jolted forward, hands at her abdomen. She had been growing even more anxious as the sixth month approached and no movement had occurred within, but _there it was again._ The nudge was more insistent this time around, and a stupid grin broke out on her face.

"Mom!" she shouted, nearly jumping up from the couch in her joy. "Mom, come here!"

Her mother hurried into the room with a dish towel in her soaked hands, drying them off hastily as she came. "Korra? Korra, what is it?"

"Mom, feel this," she whispered gleefully, grabbing her mother's still slightly damp hands and pressing them to the center of her stomach. The woman regarded her with confusion at first before an identical smile took shape on her face, a laugh escaping her lips. Korra didn't notice it, too intent on the little life inside of her.

"Oh, it's about time," she giggled, laying her palm flat. "Nice to hear from you, little one," she cooed.

* * *

The culmination of nine whole months of listlessness, of waiting for Bolin to come home from work if only for him to rub her feet, of drinking Katara's nasty milk, was finally taking place, and the only thing her brain could process was fear. "I'm not ready for this," she gasped to Bolin in a dazed, pained voice, pushing with all her might.

"Korra, look at me."

She glanced up at him, face contorted with her effort. "You are the bravest person I know. You can do anything you set your mind to, and—hey, look at me." His voice called her wandering eyes back to his earnest face. "You're not doing this alone, either. You have your mom, your dad, Katara, Pema, everyone! You have me." His voice softened and his thumb rubbed a circle on the back of her hand. "We're going to make the greatest family in the world, I just know it. So don't be afraid. I'm right here."

"Korra, you really need to start pushing harder now," the healer said, popping their bubble. "There might be complications if you don't, so—"

"Okay," she whispered, and she wasn't sure if it was directed towards the healer or Bolin.

The first push was excruciating, leaving her panting and with stars in her eyes. The second lessened the pain to a dull ache, and with the third, something large slid out, and she was done.

The stillness in the room was not what she had anticipated. She'd been present at enough births back at home to recognize when something was wrong. Where was the crying, the shrieking of the newborn as it wriggled around in the nurse's arms? Where was the applause for a job well done on everyone's part? And weren't they supposed to say something like, "It's a girl!" or whatever gender the child was.

Dread filled her as the nurse and the healer spoke in hushed, strained tones, scurrying around the room frantically. She craned her neck up and caught sight of her child.

"Oh."

The baby was fairly small, with a fuzzy tuft of dark hair atop its head. Its fists moved weakly, and Korra let out a strangled gasp as she realized why the nurse had panicked—the umbilical cord was wrapped around her child's neck, constricting its airway. Bolin whispered soothing words to her, but her eyes were glued to her baby as the nurse ran back over, scissors in hand.

"It's okay," the healer said, snatching the pair of medical scissors from his attendant. "As long as we get it off soon, everything will be okay, Korra." He snipped it off cleanly, unraveling the cord from around the infant's neck. The baby let out a hoarse cry, followed by a similar shout from its mother. The healer and nurse gave a simultaneous sigh of relief and began to clean the child off, clothing it in a grey one-piece and swaddling it in a fuzzy white blanket. Korra's arms instantly reached for it, and the baby was relinquished to her, its cries growing stronger as it registered the fact that it was outside its safe haven.

"It's a girl."

The healer smiled and stood up, tucking something in the inside of his jacket. "We'll have to monitor it for awhile—make sure there are no consequences from the cord, but as far as I can see, it's fine." The man paused, wiping his hands on a towel. "Usually umbilical cords aren't such a big deal, but…"

Korra nodded, eyes on her child. Bolin stretched out a shaking hand and gently touched his daughter's face, sweeping back some of her hair.

"She's beautiful," he breathed.

"Yes…"

"So, what are we going to name her?"

She blinked in surprise at her husband before relaxing. "Silly. We're going to name her Jeong, of course."

* * *

**End Note: **Okay so originally the ending was drastically different. The baby was going to be a stillborn, but I… couldn't go through with it. I don't know why; I just couldn't, so I edited that part out.

ALSO

I know most of this stuff from my mother (she is a nurse), but I looked up possible bad things in birthing and got that, most of the time, when the umbilical cord is around the baby's neck, it doesn't harm it, but of course something can go wrong, so I decided to use that.

And here's the original ending, if you're curious (tell me if I should delete it I dunno):

* * *

Dread filled her as the nurse and the healer spoke in hushed, strained tones. She only caught one word, but it was enough. She had heard enough.

"Stillborn".

Bolin's head snapped up at the sound, but Korra was already curling in on herself, legs clamping together as the sobs shook her body. He crushed her to his body not a moment later, stroking her hair and trying in vain to assuage her grief as the healer exited the room to deliver the news to her family. The nurse hesitated, the bundle of blankets in her arms still and lifeless as she watched the couple, looking down at their baby.

"It's a girl," she said softly, to no one in particular.

Bolin climbed into the hospital bed, not minding the sheets soaked with crimson blood and salty sweat and tears, his legs tangling together with his wife's as her sobs escalated. All he could think to do was rock her as the door opened and her mother entered, tears glittering in her eyes that were so much like her daughter's. Her husband had one hand on her shoulder comfortingly, but Korra shied away from them, preferring the warmth and safety of Bolin's embrace as she recalled why she hadn't wanted this baby in the first place, why she shouldn't have gotten so excited, why this should all just be a nightmare that she would wake up from soon…

All the babies ever did was hurt their parents.


End file.
